Love letters from Vivien Leigh to Laurence Olivier, her husband from 1940-61, will be exhibited as part of a new show at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The V&A announced Wednesday that it had acquired the Oscar-winning actress's archive in the centenary of her birth. 

The British actress is best known for her roles as stoic Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 epic Gone With The Wind and as the frail Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire.

As well as the never-seen-before love letters, the archive also features Leigh's personal diary which she wrote from the age of 16 until her death at 53, correspondence from the likes of Winston Churchill and Noel Coward, photographs, press clippings and awards.

"Vivien Leigh is undoubtedly one of the UK's greatest luminaries of stage and screen and along with Laurence Olivier, remains a true star of her time," Martin Roth, director of the V&A, said in a statement Wednesday.

"We are thrilled to acquire her archive intact in this centenary year of her birth and to be able to make it available to the public for the first time. It not only represents Vivien Leigh's career, but is also a fascinating insight into the theater and social world that surrounded her."

A revolving selection of material from the archive will go on display in the V&A's Theatre and Performance Galleries from the winter.

The V&A recently exhibited David Bowie's archive, featuring more than 300 objects including handwritten lyrics, original costumes, fashion, photography and film.